Even before yesterday’s shattering blow, they had been placed on red alert on Wednesday night that the voting process could have been fixed.

The fact that Qatar, a desert nation with no football history, won the right to host 2022 beating Australia and America on the way, emphasised that.

A source close to the bidding process said last night: “Sorokin (Russia’s bid chief executive) clearly knew that Russia had enough votes (the night before) and he told the English that.”

England’s bid team was fuming, with David Beckham admitting he was “crushed” and Prime Minister David Cameron said to be devastated.

England’s presentation in the morning had been described as “excellent and remarkable” by FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

But it counted for nothing.

Andy Anson, the England bid’s chief executive, was stunned. He said FIFA delegates had lied, accused them of not liking England, accepted that the country is not integrated enough with FIFA, and wasted £3m on the best technical report produced, while Russia and Qatar, who had the worst, won the vote.

Asked if people looked him and Becks, Prince William and Cameron in the face and lied, he said: “I am not going to name names because that is not fair on individuals, but clearly some people did.

“We thought we had more than six (votes), ie seven or eight, but we only got two

“David Dein, myself, the Prime Minister, David Beckham and Prince William looked people in the eye and asked them for their vote and were being told ‘Yes’. I am not sure what else we could have done.

“We woke up this morning thinking we would get through the first round and then we could have won.

“For me the biggest disappointment is that we clearly had the best technical bid, the best economic evaluation, and everyone has told me we had the best presentation.

“I do feel that some people let us down. Yes, I would be lying if I said they didn’t let us down.

“Clearly, some people who promised us their vote didn’t vote for us.

“I don’t think people do like us. You know what we have got? The strongest league in the world, and we are proud as hell of it and that is not going to change

“There are certain people in this process who are much more influential than others. Clearly they got involved and are supporting one bid.

“Our technical report was the best. That is £3m down the drain by the looks of it.

“The two bids with the worst technical reports won. And that looks at security and safety.”

England have been accused of not playing the political game at FIFA well enough, and Anson agreed with that.

He added: “We don’t have a Platini and we don’t have a Beckenbauer, but we don’t integrate ourselves into the international community well.

“I think that has been a problem all along. Geoff Thompson has done a good job and he is a solid guy.

“But he is stuck out there in FIFA and UEFA on his own. He’s not really integrated into the FA and the Premier League.”

The head of CONCACAF, the controversial Jack Warner, promised England his organisation’s three votes after Fabio Capello took England to Trinidad for a friendly, while Beckham visited there last month to hold a coaching clinic for kids.

Cameron and Becks also held face-to-face meetings with Warner, but he took his votes elsewhere.

The only other delegate to vote for England other than our own Thompson was the one from Japan.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson was scathing about FIFA, saying: “It cannot last in its current form.”